Any Disneyland CA experts on TUG?

[CalGalTraveler]

We were at Disneyland over New Years. The parks were really crowded. RCI trade to Peacock Suites worked quite well because we could walk to the park.

3 days was enough for me. Two days would have been too short. Still can't get those darned songs from the madhatter teacups out of my head!

We had 1 park per day- 2 days Disney, 1 day CA adventure. With the crowds a hopper would have been wasted because it would take too long to go between the parks. Lines in, Lines out. We were finished by about 6 at CA adventure because trying to ride twice these days is impossible. We like the sourdough soup bowls at the wharf and the tour.

We had Maxpasses because it came with our 3 day ticket. Recommend. In addition to rides you get free photos throughout the park. I was able to get my family for photos which will help with holiday cards next year.

Would love to go back for the Star Wars rides. Other than that, I am done for a few years. Maybe wait for grandkids.

 

[b2bailey]

Yes, I was recently surprised by lack of Amtrak service (on a Sat) on the San Diego to Oceanside route.

 

[Luanne]

When I read about the crowds and how much pre-planning people seem to be doing, I am so glad that I was able to experience Disneyland back in the day (meaning the years after it opened). We would go off season, but usually on a weekend, and never experienced those crowds. I remember my best friend and I loved the Matterhorn, we'd head there first and see how many times we could ride in a row. Our record was 8. We would stop when the line started getting too "long" (probably meaning more than a 10 minute wait). The best time I had recently was when younger dd and I went. It was over her spring break, but she was on crutches due to a recent surgery. We rented a scooter for her and were able to skip lines, get preferred seating. I wouldn't recommend going through what she did, but we both look back on that visit fondly.

 

[linsj]

I'm with SmithOp. I always arrived the day before a cruise. Too many things can go wrong trying to get to town the day of.

 

[heathpack]

DL actually doesn’t require tons of preplanning (unlike WDW, which does).

The crowds are real, but the New Years crowds the CalGalTraveler references are in different league than March crowds. Christmas and New Years are crazy.

You can’t ride most rides 8x in a row but we’ve ridden Big Thunder for example many times in a single day- 4 or 5. Times have indeed changed and DL is rarely dead quiet these days. But it’s managable if you master a few tricks- like maximizing MaxPass, availing yourself of park hopping, dining packages if you want to see X show/parade, making advanced dining reservations if you want sit down meals, etc. You don’t have to preplan it completely and most of the planning is easy to do- just know where your own annoyances will lie, your own stamina, your own priorities, your touring style, etc- and then use a few tools to yield a fun experience.

We’re people who hate crowds and we enjoy DL.

 

[Luanne]

DL actually doesn’t require tons of preplanning (unlike WDW, which does).

What I meant by the pre-planning are exactly the types of things the OP is trying to decide. How many days? What kind of tickets (single park or hopper)? How to coordinate the fast passes (or whatever they are called)? How to navigate on early days?

When we'd go there was none of this. We would plan which rides to head to first, as they'd get the most busy.

 

[mdurette]

Thanks again all! I have decided on 4 days with the hopper. I think having that transition day from park to cruise will be good after 4 non stop days in the parks.

A few follow up:
1. Is there any reason why park tickets need to be purchased in advanced? I will buy before we go, but trying to put that off a bit.
2. What would you consider a splurge at DL? I have booked Fantasmic and World of Color dinner packages already. Anything else?
3. Re: Fantasmic dinner package. I read that it has good viewing and you are required to sit on the ground. DH physically cannot do that, he's not handicap in anyway, his body just simply doesn't bend very well at the waist. Never has.....even when his waist was smaller

Luanne: This planning is easy-peasy compared to WDW planning! The lack of planning is probably what is driving me crazy. I'm so use to having everything planned so far in advance for WDW. I keep on reminding this will be different, it will be free flowing. It may take me to the 4th day there to actually realize that though...ha ha ha. I'm just happy I'm using Marriott points for the hotel. Limited my choices down to only a handful of offerings!

 

[Luanne]

Thanks again all! I have decided on 4 days with the hopper. I think having that transition day from park to cruise will be good after 4 non stop days in the parks.

A few follow up:
1. Is there any reason why park tickets need to be purchased in advanced? I will buy before we go, but trying to put that off a bit.

The reason to buy them in advance is to avoid having to stand in line at the park to buy them.

 

[mdurette]

The reason to buy them in advance is to avoid having to stand in line at the park to buy them.

Thanks Luanne: I will by them in advance, but I would prefer to do it maybe a week/few days out. My FIL isn't doing well and I'm trying to limit my OOP expenses right now...….just in case. Spent some time today making sure Chase covers this situation with my reserve card...thank goodness they do. Flights and hotel on points.....but the cruise was not. If something happens, I would prefer to limit my claim.

 

[heathpack]

Thanks again all! I have decided on 4 days with the hopper. I think having that transition day from park to cruise will be good after 4 non stop days in the parks.

A few follow up:
1. Is there any reason why park tickets need to be purchased in advanced? I will buy before we go, but trying to put that off a bit.
2. What would you consider a splurge at DL? I have booked Fantasmic and World of Color dinner packages already. Anything else?
3. Re: Fantasmic dinner package. I read that it has good viewing and you are required to sit on the ground. DH physically cannot do that, he's not handicap in anyway, his body just simply doesn't bend very well at the waist. Never has.....even when his waist was smaller

Luanne: This planning is easy-peasy compared to WDW planning! The lack of planning is probably what is driving me crazy. I'm so use to having everything planned so far in advance for WDW. I keep on reminding this will be different, it will be free flowing. It may take me to the 4th day there to actually realize that though...ha ha ha. I'm just happy I'm using Marriott points for the hotel. Limited my choices down to only a handful of offerings!

My understanding is that you must stand if you book the Hungry Bear dining package and you sit on the ground for the Blue Bayou and River Belle Terrace packages. Which package did you book? I'm not sure if you can stand at the back of the viewing area for BB and RBT, I would imagine you could but you might want to call Disneyland Dining and ask. You might be better off with the relatively bargain priced HB option if you want to stand anyway.

The other option to consider is booking the 8pm seating for RBT. For this seating, you can sit outdoors to eat and then stay at your seat on the terrace to watch the show. We've never done this, and I think the fireworks viewing after Fantasmic is not as good from this location but it might work for your husband, especially if you'll be catching the fireworks on another day.

My splurges all have to do with food or alcohol, it seems:
1. Chef's counter at Napa Rose. $100 per person, plus $100 more if you elect the wine pairings. They make you a 4 course tasting meal, based on your food preferences. Its excellent.
2. Dinner or drinks at Napa Rose or Napa Rose Lounge
3. Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel is an excellent steakhouse
4. Drink with abandon at Trader Sam's
5. The Hemingway daiquiri at Carthay Circle
6. Brunch at Lamplight Lounge to get the Cinnamon Toast cocktail

We've only done 1 tour- the Holidaytime Tour- but we really enjoyed it and are planning on the Grand Circle Tour when its back and also A Walk in Walt's footsteps

 

[heathpack]

Thanks Luanne: I will by them in advance, but I would prefer to do it maybe a week/few days out. My FIL isn't doing well and I'm trying to limit my OOP expenses right now...….just in case. Spent some time today making sure Chase covers this situation with my reserve card...thank goodness they do. Flights and hotel on points.....but the cruise was not. If something happens, I would prefer to limit my claim.

You do want to avoid standing in line at the ticket booths.

I've never availed myself of discount tickets but some places like Undercover Tourist offer small discounts with advance purchase.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

DL actually doesn’t require tons of preplanning (unlike WDW, which does).

The crowds are real, but the New Years crowds the CalGalTraveler references are in different league than March crowds. Christmas and New Years are crazy.

You can’t ride most rides 8x in a row but we’ve ridden Big Thunder for example many times in a single day- 4 or 5. Times have indeed changed and DL is rarely dead quiet these days. But it’s managable if you master a few tricks- like maximizing MaxPass, availing yourself of park hopping, dining packages if you want to see X show/parade, making advanced dining reservations if you want sit down meals, etc. You don’t have to preplan it completely and most of the planning is easy to do- just know where your own annoyances will lie, your own stamina, your own priorities, your touring style, etc- and then use a few tools to yield a fun experience.

We’re people who hate crowds and we enjoy DL.

BTW...going to DL on New Years was fantastic. Crowded, yes, but they not only had a terrific midnight show at the castle, they had great music/DJs in several places in Small World area as well as main street and it was really fun to dance. A different side of DL. Plus people were not drunk and disorderly. Just having a fun time. I would go again. The only downside is it is a very long day because we got there when the park opened at 8:00 AM and were advised not to leave because we may not get back in due to over-crowding. AP holders or those staying at the Disney hotels might be able to get in later. It would be worth renting Disney hotel for one night to get later passage into the park.

I will second buying a dining package to see the shows. At Disneyworld there are bleachers. At DL you need to get a dining reservation to get seats. My feet got tired having to stand so much.

 

[mdurette]

You do want to avoid standing in line at the ticket booths.

I've never availed myself of discount tickets but some places like Undercover Tourist offer small discounts with advance purchase.

Yes, UT is about $87 cheaper with mousesavers link. That is my plan. On some level, it is a ruined plan as I have been saving up discounted Disney gift cards for tickets and cost while there and I can't use them with UT. All well.....this is the reason why I 1K have wiggle room for splurges at DL and the cruise!

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Yes, UT is about $87 cheaper with mousesavers link. That is my plan. On some level, it is a ruined plan as I have been saving up discounted Disney gift cards for tickets and cost while there and I can't use them with UT. All well.....this is the reason why I 1K have wiggle room for splurges at DL and the cruise!

That is what happened to us. We ended up buying through my DH's work discount plan in HR. But no worries. The food in the park is outrageously expensive so those gift cards will come in handy. We spent $500 GC over 3 days for a family of 4 - mostly on food. Take a look at Last Minute Travel as well. This was recommended to us by Tuggers and was far cheaper than others including UT.

What is a "mousesavers" link?

 

[heathpack]

Yes, UT is about $87 cheaper with mousesavers link. That is my plan. On some level, it is a ruined plan as I have been saving up discounted Disney gift cards for tickets and cost while there and I can't use them with UT. All well.....this is the reason why I 1K have wiggle room for splurges at DL and the cruise!

I tried to get tickets via UT earlier this year and I gave up in the end. They required some crazy sequence of actions- something like pay in advance via their website, then respond to a text I think with a phone call and then something after that. I can't remember exactly what it was but I found it super annoying. I was trying to buy my tickets a day ahead and just expected to pay on the website and then have tickets emailed to me. Whatever the convoluted series of steps (supposedly to avoid fraud) was, I didn't have time at work (I'm a veterinarian and some days just go continuously from one thing to another with zero pauses) to go through them. I gave up and asked for my money back and just bought through Disney, which was a normal online transaction.

Its doable to buy from UT but be sure to leave yourself a little bit of time to deal with the necessary steps.

 

[mdurette]

I tried to get tickets via UT earlier this year and I gave up in the end. They required some crazy sequence of actions- something like pay in advance via their website, then respond to a text I think with a phone call and then something after that. I can't remember exactly what it was but I found it super annoying. I was trying to buy my tickets a day ahead and just expected to pay on the website and then have tickets emailed to me. Whatever the convoluted series of steps (supposedly to avoid fraud) was, I didn't have time at work (I'm a veterinarian and some days just go continuously from one thing to another with zero pauses) to go through them. I gave up and asked for my money back and just bought through Disney, which was a normal online transaction.

Its doable to buy from UT but be sure to leave yourself a little bit of time to deal with the necessary steps.

I will have to check this out. We have done WDW tickets with them in the past with out that non-sense.

Calgirl: Mousesavers is a website devoted too all thing saving money when hanging with the mouse. If you sign up for their newsletter, which comes out once a month there is a link with a bit more savings (at least for WDW). I just repriced my tickets via UT without the link and it was the same. So maybe a difference with WDW and DL. Either way, if you are looking to save a bit of $$ when visiting, it is a good resource.

 

[presley]

It's your call, but I prefer to have to seating for WOC and the only way to get that is do the dessert party. It's the only way I've ever watched the show.

If your husband can't sit on the ground (neither can mine), there's a dinner at Riverbelle Terrace that has table seating. You can only book that by calling in. The view isn't as good as the areas where people sit on the ground, but that's an option if he won't be able to sit on the ground. I've read posts where people have said they were forced to sit on the ground or had to leave the area. I suppose another option would be to rent a wheelchair for the evening and then he could sit in that in a special section. I've sat on the ground before with the package from Blue Bayou. I was in the front row which had a slightly blocked view from the railing. The area had lots of room for people to spread out, but the young woman behind me kept pushing her feet into my butt.

 

[am1]

I feel park hopper is a cash grab. More so the longer one visits.

 

[heathpack]

I feel park hopper is a cash grab. More so the longer one visits.

How often have you been to Disneyland and California Adventure?

 

[am1]

How often have you been to Disneyland and California Adventure?

twice disneyland and once california adventure. Going in February and want to one day each but they have a kids sale on for 3 days cheaper then 2. When we had an annual pass in Orlando I went 19 days and never park hopped.

 

[heathpack]

twice disneyland and once california adventure. Going in February and want to one day each but they have a kids sale on for 3 days cheaper then 2. When we had an annual pass in Orlando I went 19 days and never park hopped.

I only asked because Orlando is different IMO. Park Hopping is more useful I think at Disneyland and CA, given the close proximity of the two parks. At WDW, I think you can make a solid argument against park hopping, because of the transit times involved.

 

[mdurette]

Only once did I park hop while in WDW. We had only 1 day and we made it our missing to hit all 4 parks. We did it AND hit all the major attractions we wanted to see. We stayed at either the swan or dolphin and started Epcot, then MK, AK and then Studios to finish the day with fantasmic. It was a fun day.

But a normal visit...nope, we are one park per day kinda people. Too much time wasted moving between the parks. I can see how that would be different in DL with them side by side.

 

[presley]

twice disneyland and once california adventure. Going in February and want to one day each but they have a kids sale on for 3 days cheaper then 2. When we had an annual pass in Orlando I went 19 days and never park hopped.

Totally different item at DL/DCA. In Anaheim, you just walk a few hundred yards to the other park and you can book fastpasses easily at the other park. Even on days that I mostly spend in DL, I'll go have a meal in DCA and come back to DL.

 

[davidvel]

I always get nervous about travel the morning of a cruise, prefer to stay nearby the night before.

There is Amtrack work going on from Irvine to San Diego, but its limited to weekends. I’m not ready to trust a train ride the morning of a cruise departure.

Travel Advisories | Pacific Surfliner

Learn about ongoing construction projects that contribute to improvements in rail travel in Southern California, and stay ahead of planned service disruptions.

www.pacificsurfliner.com

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

And there have been several cliff collapses in Del Mar halting all train travel through the region. I'd come down the evening before your cruise.

 

[rhonda]

For fun, below is how I spent Friday, 1/17/2020, the opening day of Rise of the Resistance. Lots of park hopping ... back and forth ... through the day.

• 6:15a Entered the park
• 7:00a Queued up just off Main Street at the entrance to Adventure Land with a mob of people heading for Galaxy's Edge; booked my first FP using MaxPass while waiting and chatting with those around me.
• 8:00a Used the app to get my Boarding Group Assignment; backup boarding group #99. FWIW, I was in a crowded space. Others I spoke with in the earlier waiting areas got early BGs while connecting in less crowded places such as near the Bengal BBQ
• So, I've got lots of time to kill. Let's start riding!
  • Haunted Mansion, standby
  • Pirates of the Caribbean standby
  • Indiana Jones, FP
  • Hunger hit! I exited the park hoping for Gumbo YaYa at the Jazz Kitchen Express ... but too early for lunch.
    Hopped to DCA
    Used the Mobile Order for lunch at the Pacific Wharf Cafe. Sat for a long time slowly enjoying the chowder and bread bowl. Killing time ....
  • IncrediCoaster, FP
  • Little Mermaid, standby
    Hop back to DL
  • Small World, FP
  • Space Mountain, FP
    Hop back to DCA
  • Guardians of the Galaxy, FP
    Hop back to DL
  • Matterhorn Bobsleds, FP
  • Big Thunder Railroad, FP
  • My phone and backup battery are both low. I found an outlet in Batuu and sat, on the cold pavement, for 2.5 hours recharging.
  • Smugglers Run, twice in a row using the Single Rider queue
  • Buzz Light Year, standby
  • Star Tours, FP
  • Submarines (Finding Nemo), standby
  • Space Mountain, FP for second time
  • Hungry! Found something to nibble on while waiting for my Boarding Group ... getting really close!
  • Rise of the Resistance! BG 99 called 7:30p
  • Indiana Jones, FP for the second time
• 9:00p I'm done for the day; time to meet hubby at the off-site timeshare.

So, quick recap:

• FP rides: 10
• Standby Rides: 7
• Virtual Queue Rides: 1
• Total Rides/Attractions: 18
• Miles walked? 12.5

And that is how a local visits DL using MaxPass and an AP for hopping. We returned together on Sat, got an earlier BG, and spent a shorter day (just 9.5 miles walked) between the two parks. I did get my Gumbo (yeah!) but quit the parks soon after riding RotR. Enjoyed an early dinner in the Garden Walk area before turning in.